Older women with CHD experience sexual dysfunctions

Two thirds of older women with heart disease suffer some form of sexual dysfunction, new research reveals.

A study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that, among 2,763 post-menopausal women with coronary heart disease who had taken part in a hormone replacement trial, 39 per cent claimed to be sexually active and 65 per cent reported one or more sexual dysfunctions.

Dr Ilana Addis, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, writes: "Physicians should be aware that postmenopausal patients are sexually active, and address the problems these women experience."

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Dr Addis and colleagues infer that some of the 61 per cent who claimed to be sexually inactive may be so because of dysfunctions similar to those experienced by sexually active heart patients.

And they also note that fear of having sex after contracting coronary heart disease may add to problems of inactivity or dysfunction.

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